Signal device for motor cars and the like



Jul 12 192 7 o. M WILLIAM @SIGNALJEVICE FOR MOTOR CARS AND THE LIKEFiled April 24. 1925 Patented July 12 1927;

. 1 am no) sures Pars-m orr cs.

.DoUeLAfs wI iLiAit, or DUNEDIN '0rAeo, NE ZEALAND.

SIGNAL-DEVICE roe Moron cans AND THE LIKE.

This invention reiates to; devices which indicate to the general morethe immediate intention oft the driver of the vehicle to Am or turn. 1

7 In 'orderto warn other vehicular traffic following or approaching,andto give some" indication of the drivers intention to turn, it has hecomea universal rule, and in. some oolmtries a law, for a driver eta vehicleto eirtend his arm from the side of the vehicle,

the necessitywoftaking one hand off the to provideapparatus{that}ix 1;thus indicatingto anvione following that he desires to turn the.1iclein the direo= tron; 1nd1cated, 1.; 1 i The ohJect-QO'E the;invention is to avo1d "Wllfifil and also the inconvenience of progeotlngthearm, While turning, corner, and ll indicate the Idirection in whichthe occupant of the vehiclelwishes to tame the occupant est a vehiclefollowing or/and approaching.

' A further obj'eetis to indicate in a similar manner the desire of the.occupant of a "vehicle to stop, :so fllat'sany one following or/andapproaching will bewvarned ozt the note apparatus.

immediate intention of the'driver 0f the said vehicle.

Referring Figure 1 is a front elevation of the comto the accompanyingdrawings,

. "Figure '4 is a plan view of the (switch which constitutes the mainmember of the oscillating signal arm control lgear; l 1

Figure 5 is a sectional vievv'throughcline ate-B in'Figure 4 I Figures6, and 8 are elevations of the ityof the signal arm 3, Figure 2, has anoverlapping portion 20 thereon at the top other various membersnecessaryto complete the control ,gear. i

Figure 9V is a plan view iof Figure 8. Figure 10 is a'plan' view ofFigure -6. Figure '11 is a section through C-ED, Figure 10.

Figure 1.2 is ure 6.

Figure 13. is the wiring diagram for the a bottom plairvievv ofFiglighting circuit of the apparatus.

There is a sheathing 1 of comparativelj plate, so that. they will beApplication filed April 24,1825. seriarno. 25,655.

light gauge, which is made from an oblongshaped piece of metal bentalong its major axis to iorma section resemliling the letter L5, and ofsuitable length and Width to house two signal arms 2 and '3 when theirservice is not required, Two supporting straps 4- of fairly light gauge,one on either. side of the housing I, are/secured thereto by suitableretaining means, either riveted or screwed." the end 5 oit'each plate.being flush with the edge 6 of the J-shaped honei-ng member 1-.- Thesaid straps arebent a r? to conform with the outer periphery of atubular housing member 8,'and are then secured together by a rivet 9near the opposite end.

Another strap 12, shown in broken lines in Figure 2, is of heaviermaterial, and has (a hole 13 drilled vertically there1-n,I-of suitahiediameter to fit the top end of the vertical hollow tubular member 8; thesaid strap 12 is riveted to the.UrshapedhousiIl-g member '1. Atthebottom extremity-of the tubular member '8 is a bracket 14, its boss likeportion being made tast to the tubular member 8, and the. flange portionto the housing l by means of the rivets 15.

The oscillating signal arms 2 and 3 are pivoted at 16, and are of anyconvenient length, having literal indications printed thereon tointimate the drivers intention the said indications on" either driver ofa following o-r/and approaching vehicle.

Two holes lOand 11 are tor the f purpose or attaching the completeapparatus to turn or stop; the said arms 2.anc'l'3 have side "of each iseen by the Each oscillating signal arm isco-nstantly'.

.under the influence of the springs 17, both of which tend to keep thesignal arms 2 and 3 in a'vertical position in the housing -1 with theslightly qtaperedends uppermost.

A link 18, pivoted at 19 near the extremedge 'so that the said link 18is at right when it is vertical. .The connecting memher 21 is pivoted at22, and a flexible Wire loo 23 is secured thereto and passes through aaflexihle armour 24: to the control gear.

The other signal arm' 2 is identical to that of arm 3, but is shown inFigure 2 in a set position. There is a top housing memy the button andmay be tashioncd as illustrated at 29 in Figure 3. so that theoscillating arms 2 and 3 will be illuminated throue'hout their entirelength. A small red glass disc in each of the housilnrs 2b adapted toshow a red light rearward from one lamp. while a red light is shownforwardly by the other.

The usual bayonet or screw type of electric lamp sockets used. and aportion of the adapter is indicated at El flexible conductors 32 fromthe said sockets pass into the interior of the housing 25 at 33. Theconductors and 35 are connected directly to the accumulator 36 orbattery oi. the car. T he switch or control near con'u'n'ises a metalbase plate 37; the two flexible liowden wire controls 2 passing: throughtwo slots 38 and 3tlinto a hollow or recess -10. where they terminate. Aboss like portion 41 ot the baseplate 87 has a cylindrical recess 42.which houses a spring 13 and portion of a releasing button 4st. Athreaded portion of H: extends downwards. and screws into a suitablythreaded hole in a locking pin 4t). A piece of ebonite or some suchsuitable insulation it; is secured by screws to the base plate 37. and aterminal and contact point 457 is secured therein. in such a manner thatit will be completely insulated from the metal plate 37. and a conductor48 goes to one side of each lamp in the circuit.

A thin sprint brass strip 4-9 is made fast to the base plate 37 by thescrews 50. and has sullicient resiliency to keep it in electri alcontact with the contact point 4-7 so long; as the button and locking:pin are both in their released position. as indicated in Figure 5.

A grooved semi-circular member 51 has a hole 52 of suitable diameter tolit neatly over the boss like portion 41. and a groove 53 is fashionedin the periphery oi the semicircular member 51. so that when the member51 is placed into the recess 40. the groove 53 will provide a race forthe flexible Bowden wire controls 23. The stops :14 on the controlwiresv B l are adapted to lit in the V portions 55 ot the groove as toprevent the said control wire t'rom slipping".

The cap piece 56 is now placed over the assembled base plate member 37and the semicircular grooved member 51, and secured to member 37 byscrews. The control handle 57 has a boss 58. which is adapted to lit ina hole 59 in the cap 56. There is a hole in the boss 58 to fit the boss59 on the semi-circular grooved member at, and a screw retains thehandle portion 57 and grooved portion 51 in position. A suitable recess60 in the bottom of the grooved member :31 is for the engagen'ient oithe locking pin 15. when the operator turns the control handle to thestop or turn position. Thus it will be seen that, when it is desired touse the apparatus. the slot (30 will be radially opposite the lockingpin -15, due to the tension of the spring 17, and partly to the weightot' the oscillating signalarm; at the same time the locking pin willpress down on the spring brass strip l9, and break the contact at thepoint 4-7.

When it is desired to brine one oscillating arm into operation. thedriver turns the handle 57. and with it the grooved member 5t. andturns. lifting the signal arm until su h time the locking: pin do isdirectly under the slot 60 in member 51. When under the resistance atthe helical sprint 43. the said locking pin 45 engages with the slot (30and at the same time allowing the spring brass strip to make contactwith the contact point 47.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is r Asignal. a signal operator comprising a base plate having an aperture andhav ing circuit controlling elei'nents. a grooved semi-circular membermounted to turn on the said base plate and provided with a lockingrecess in its bottom surface, a flexible connection between said signaland the said member, a locking element seated. in said aperture in thebase plate having a project-ion to engage the locking recess of themember to lock the member in a predetermined position. the bottom of themember servii'igr through contact with the locking elementto hold thelatter in inoperative locking relation in all other positions oil. themember, a push-button on said base member to disengage the lockingelement from said member. said locking element direct-iv to operatingwith one ot the circuit controlling; elements to move the latter to aposition in which the circuit is open while the locking meniber is inengagementwith the bottom surface of the grooved semi-cirrul: r memherand to permit. said circuitcontrolling element to move to circuitmelting position when the locking element is moved into the recess ofthe member. and means to turn the member to operate the signal.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

DOUGLAS lVIoVVILIlh ill.

